Games That Built My Game Dev Dreams

Author: Joe Little

Date: 01/28/24

Video games have always been an important part of my life. Two gifts from my childhood stand out in particular. The first a classic Game Boy clutched in my eager little hands. It housed a universe within its plastic shell. Tetris, with its addictive dance of falling blocks, and Zelda: Link's Awakening, an epic adventure eclosed in tiny green and black squares. The Game Boy became constant companion. My tiny gray adventurer went everywhere with me, tucked like a secret world into my pocket. Whether riding in the car's backseat or building forts in the woods, I could always slip back into Koholint Island, a click and a chime transporting me to its lush fields and hidden secrets.

The second gift, from my uncle, a treasure trove of computer game discs, unlocking a Pandora's Box of digital delights. There were several games including a Demodisk for Doom. Doom was like a forbidden fruit, I played it in secret knowing my parents would not approve! Eventually I worked up the courage to ask for the full game, which, to my suprise, my parents hesitantly gave me permision Doom ignited my passion for the PC. But it was StarCraft and WarCraft that truly sustained my open my pc game interest, revealing galaxies of strategic depth.

In my earaly childhood, the first game I ever bought with my own money, was the Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt combo NES game. I spent my own money on the game so my parents bought the orange duckhunt gun! Ah, Super Mario Bros. The name alone conjures up a symphony of blips and bloops, the satisfying thwack of striking a Goomba a fireball, and the triumphant flourish as Princess Peach finally escapes Bowser's clutches. For me, Mario wasn't just a husky plumber; he was a portal to a world of pixelated possibilities, the first spark in a crackling bonfire of game development passion. Contrary to popular opinion, I also realy loved Super Mario 2! I loved all of the uniqe enemy characters, and the fact that princess peach could float for a long distance. Super Mario Bros. 3 really bew my sox off! It was a tremendous expansion on the series, explosive bursts of imagination full of warp whistles, enemies that were quirky and lovable, and power-ups could turn you into a frog, tanuki, or a hammer-wielding powerhouse!

Another NES game at the top of my list is Bucky-O'Hare. That swashbuckling space rabbit with a robo-parrot and a laser gun the size of his arm. He may not have reached the same stratospheric heights as Mario or Link, but for me, Bucky was a revelation. A side-scrolling symphony of explosions, cheesy one-liners, and quirky alien enemies, Bucky's NES adventure was a playground of pure, unadulterated fun. The gameplay and the soundtrack are playing in my mind when I think back to my childhood.

Then came Battletoads, proving side-scrolling brawling could be a glorious ballet of butt-stomps and weaponized pimples. I lvoed this game, even though it was really, really, really, difficult! I loved the battle system and the satisfaction of a perfeclty timed boot!

But it wasn't just about pixelated sprites and chip-tunes. Ocarina of Time painted Hyrule in breathtaking 3D, Zelda whispering to the wind while Link galloped on Epona, my childhood heart swelling with every epic quest and dungeon dive. GoldenEye on N64 wasn't just a shooter; it was the first tiem I stayed up all night gaminf with firends and eating pizza! And Halo, oh Halo, transported me to a sprawling alien ringworld, and was a reason to host a living room LAN party, a cacophony of friendly (and maybe not so friendly) fire as we battled for supremacy in Blood Gultch.

Each game was a brushstroke on my imagination, a lesson scribbled in pixels and polygons. From Mario's side-scrolling symphony to Zelda's sweeping epics, from Battletoads' riotous brawls to Halo's sci-fi grandeur, they taught me about worlds, characters, challenges, and the sheer, unadulterated joy of a well-crafted game.

Now, as an indie developer, I stand bathed in the afterglow of that pixelated Pantheon. Every line of code, every level design, every enemy sprite whispers in the echoes of Super Mario's warp pipes, StarCraft's strategic dances, and Ocarina of Time's epic melodies. My goal isn't to copy these giants; it's to capture their spark, the spirit of innovation, the thrill of discovery, and the gut-punching joy that makes a game unforgettable.

So, here's to the Super Marios, the Battletoads, the StarCrafts, and all the games that lit the fire in my soul. You're not just pixels on a screen; you're the blueprint for the worlds I strive to create, the inspiration that fuels my every keystroke. And who knows, maybe one day, a kid playing my game will look back and say, "That's where it all started, the game that sparked my own dream of building pixelated playgrounds.